Going For The GR10

I had a good night in Roscoff and quite liked the Brittany region of France but once again felt the urge to move on. It was then that I fully decided to give the GR10 a go. With goal in mind this trip instantly took on an exciting feel with a mission to walk across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. First I had to get out of Roscoff.

There’s not too many buses going in and out of Roscoff and the best I could do was 12 noon to the nearby town of Marilaux. From there I tried to book a train all the way to the Pyrenees but it was way too expensive so I settled for a short trip to Rennes. In Rennes I was able to book a much better trip to the Pyrenees region but I needed to stay a night in Rennes.

I can’t say I know much about Rennes but it’s a busy old city where most everyone seems to be about 22 years old. France must have had a baby boom around the late 80’s or early 90’s because there seems to be overabundance of people in their 20’s. I got a good look at the city on a 2 mile walk to a hostel. The streets were jammed packed with street vendors. The most I’ve ever seen on a Wednesday. The open air cafes were full of 20 something’s smoking and drinking. I continued just past the city center and found the hostel. It was nothing special but fine for a night. I was amused by a middle aged Frenchman staying there wearing a Sun Records t-shirt. He really couldn’t speak English but he started naming all the great names that recorded on Sun in the 1950’s. He was also able to communicate that he had actually visited the studios. As a record collector I got a kick out of his enthusiasm and wondered if he may have ever been an Ebay customer of mine?

I had to get an early start out of Rennes to catch a bus and two trains to Pyrenees. I observed a couple of street people, right outside the hostel breakfast room window sleeping under a tree, as I enjoyed a morning baguette. One night in Rennes was definitely enough. It was bus to Nante then a train to Bordeaux where I missed my connection to Biarritz. One hour, one baguette and I was another train to Biarritz. It was then that I realized I really needed to go further beyond Biarritz to Hendaye. It was only another 40 or 50km so I just stayed on the train and got out at Hendaye. Nobody seems to check tickets on French trains anyway.

The train station in Hendaye is about 2 miles from the nearest campground. It’s funny how in France I always arrive 2 miles from where I’m staying for the night. On the walk into town I met some other people who had just arrived and are traversing the Pyrenees.

There are 3 hiking routes. The Pyrenees form a border long France and Spain. The GR10 traverses on the French side. The GR11 traverses on the Spanish Side. The HRP, known as the “Haute (high) Route” traverses closer to the crest of the range and goes in and out of both countries.

One of the people I met was James from England. He was heading to the campground as well. I always seem to get along well with British walkers. James was setting out for the HRP the next day. The campground in Hendaye was very nice an peaceful. I considered taking a day off there but knew I’d be anxious to move on the next day. At this point I was fully committed and really excited to be doing the GR10. It would certainly be an adventure and one of the more significant hikes I’ve done in a long time.

In the evening James and I went out for a big meal. Spirits were high…